To get a better understanding of how our Comedy Bootcamp class impacts our veteran participants, we conducted an 18-month, mixed-methods research study.

The study determined that Comedy Bootcamp develops a healthy sense of humor — called “self-enhancing humor style” — and in turn, that improves veterans’ well-being in a variety of ways.

When using self-enhancing humor, a person regulates their emotions and copes with adversity by reframing difficult events in humorous ways.

Ultimately, veterans who take Comedy Bootcamp improve their self-esteem, resilience, depression, and stress. Better yet — these benefits last over time.